SI:AM | FIFA’s Shocking Folarin Balogun Reversal Casts Shadow Over U.S.-Belgium Game

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I don’t think there’s any way we will see a game at this World Cup better than England-Mexico.

In today’s SI:AM:
🇺🇸 Balogun set to play
🇳🇴 Haaland excels in Norway upset
🇧🇷 Brazil squanders World Cup opportunity

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USMNT catches a break

The U.S. men’s national team is set to benefit from one of the most controversial off-field decisions in the history of the World Cup.

FIFA announced yesterday that U.S. forward Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban for being shown a red card will be suspended for a probationary period of one year. In simpler terms: Balogun will be allowed to play in the team’s round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday night. (Belgium is appealing the decision.)

Balogun, who has been the team’s best offensive player throughout the tournament, received a red card in the 64th minute of the U.S.’s round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina after he stepped on the back of Tarik Muharemović’s leg as the two battled for possession. The decision to show Balogun a straight red card after a video review was widely criticized, as the contact with Muharemović seemed merely incidental. Nonetheless, FIFA’s rules are clear: A player who receives a red card will automatically miss their team’s next match. Teams are not allowed to appeal a red card ban.

The rules don’t say anything about a country’s head of state making a personal appeal to the president of FIFA, though.

President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino hours after the red card was issued on Wednesday to lobby for the decision to be reconsidered, according to multiple reports. (The New York Times first reported the news.) The Guardian reported that Trump called Infantino three times.

U.S. fans will feel relieved that a key player will be available for one of the biggest games in the team’s history, but the way the decision was reversed should also make them feel slimy. The decision to suspend a red card ban in the World Cup is highly irregular, although not unprecedented. The last time it happened was in 1962, when Brazilian star Garrincha was allowed to play in the final against Czechoslovakia after being sent off in the semifinal. That instance, too, involved pressure from the Brazilian government.

The decision is an unwelcome reminder of the shady dealings that often cloud the World Cup. There has been no reporting to indicate that anything untoward happened to help grease the wheels for Balogun’s return, but when an organization as notoriously corrupt as FIFA and a president as blatantly corrupt as Trump collaborate to bend the rules, it’s hard not to wonder what might have happened behind the scenes.

The shocking break from protocol has sparked widespread criticism. The Belgian federation said in a statement that it is “astonished” by the decision. UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, called the move “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and said that overturning the ban “crossed a red line.”

The outrage is understandable. Sports and politics should never be mixed in this way. The U.S. may be unfairly benefiting from the close relationship between Trump and Infantino, which has been fostered since the country was named a co-host in 2018 for this year’s tournament. And Infantino’s cozying up to Trump had already drawn scrutiny before this latest controversy. Shortly before the tournament started, the president of Norway’s soccer federation sent a letter to FIFA saying it supported a formal complaint filed against FIFA for violating political neutrality rules by awarding Trump the “FIFA Peace Prize.”

The Balogun decision and Trump’s reported involvement in it add an unfortunate stink to Monday night’s game. Before the president’s meddling, the mood surrounding the national team had been more undeniably positive than it had been in a long time. The team was playing exceptionally well and had given fans reason to hope for a deeper World Cup run than the U.S. had ever had. Balogun’s return makes it more likely that the U.S. can advance to the quarterfinals (and perhaps beyond), but the rest of the world would view a win with an asterisk.

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The top five…

Fans in the Estadio Azteca — It was a raucous scene in the Estadio Azteca as Mexico and England played an instant classic. | REUTERS

… moments from England’s wild win over Mexico:
5. Harry Kane’s postgame interview after he’d lost his voice by screaming for 90 minutes.
4. Mexican legend Guillermo Ochoa’s emotional reaction after the final whistle. The 40-year-old, who has made more than 150 appearances for the national team, was consoled by his teammates.
3. Jude Bellingham’s clearance to save a Mexico goal.
2. Jordan Pickford’s leaping save to deny a would-be game-tying goal in the first half.
1. Julián Quiñones’s skillful finish to score Mexico’s first goal.

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